Synopsis
When a young boy's family is killed by the mob, their tough neighbor Gloria becomes his reluctant guardian. In possession of a book that the gangsters want, the pair go on the run in New York.
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Cast
- Gena RowlandsGloria Swenson
- Buck HenryJack Dawn
- Julie CarmenJeri Dawn
- John AdamesPhil Dawn
- Tony Knesich1st Man / Gangster
- Gregory CleghorneKid in Elevator
- Lupe GarnicaMargarita Vargas
- Jessica CastilloJoan Dawn
- Tom Noonan2nd Man / Gangster
- Ronald Maccone3rd Man / Gangster
Recommendations
- 80
Newsweek
Gloria is pure, unembarrassed jive--a hipster's lark of a movie--and Rowlands give a great jive artist's performance, straight-faced and charged with sly conviction. [06 Oct 1980, p.72] - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
Gloria is tough, sweet and goofy. - 75
Slant Magazine
Cassavetes and Rowlands lend a screwball energy to this thriller, ably playing conflicting moods of suspense and silliness off each other to complicate an otherwise straightforward genre film. - 75
The A.V. Club
Gloria is the rare Cassavetes film to expand its scope beyond an insular community. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
Under the masterful direction of husband John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands delivers a gutsy, spellbinding performance in this excellent crime film. - 75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
The agreeable Gloria - despite the TV advertising, it is neither violent nor frightening - has three built-in audiences, none of which should be disappointed in the slightest: students of acting, children and suckers for fairy tales. [11 Oct 1980] - 70
Chicago Reader
Heightened emotion and nagging banal reality fight each other for screen space, doing final battle in a daringly ambiguous ending. - 70
The New Yorker
Cassavetes films Rowlands, his wife, with self-deprecating adoration; the demanding man likens himself to the defenseless boy, and both are saved by this gloriously burdened woman who would kill for them.
